National Lawyers Guild. Massachusetts Chapter, Inc. records

The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) was founded in New York City in 1936. Made up of union lawyers, civil libertarians and progressives, the group saw themselves as a response to the conservative American Bar Association that was vehemently anti-New Deal. The Massachusetts chapter (NLGMC) formed within weeks of the first meeting in New York. At the founding convention in Washington D.C. in 1937, the National group formally opened itself to all lawyers regardless of race, sex, or political beliefs and started campaigning for anti-lynching legislation, legal protections for collective bargaining, full scale social security, and federally funded neighborhood legal aid bureaus. They were the first US bar association to allow the admission of minorities to their ranks. As it grew so did World War II and the NLG quickly became involved in international law and post War legal developments such as the Nuremburg Trials.

Heavy involvement with labor and strong liberal leanings made NLG an early target for the Dies Committee, a precursor to the House Un-American Activities Committee. Despite narrowly escaping being named a subversive group, the Second Red Scare and red-baiting of key members caused membership to crumble and the Boston Chapter was essentially decimated.

Despite the blow to the movement, the NLG became an early proponent and supporter of the Civil Rights Movement and provided key legal support to many early victories. Throughout the country, it took the Vietnam War to revive the NLG. Law Student chapters were formed with support of their local chapters and groups worked to represent anti-war demonstrators and advise activists. Notably, they defended the Chicago 7, Huey Newton and the Attica defendants. NLGMC reformed in 1969 following these successes.

In the late 1960s, law students, legal workers and jailhouse lawyers were admitted to full membership and women were elected to positions of leaderships. The 1970s saw work in support of the Wounded Knee Occupation, Puerto Rican independentistas, the United Farmworkers Union and increased support for LGBT rights. The 1980s focused on attacks on Affirmative Action, a successful case against FBI surveillance of the NLG, increased support of legal services, abortion access, and an emphasis on struggles in Central America. In the 1990s the NLG worked on reproductive rights, immigration and street law clinics. In the 2000s, the PATRIOT Act, corporate globalization, the World Trade Organization, Palestine and political demonstrations such as the Occupy Movement have been the focus of the NLG. Most of the work of the Guild is done by committees, project and task forces, these include committees on Anti-racism, anti-sexism, international issues (including subcommittees on Africa, Cuba, Palestine, Haiti, Mideast, Philippines, and the United Nations), labor and unemployment, legal workers, and mass defense. Projects include work on environmental justice, Korean peace, national immigration, national police accountability, and prison law. Queer, Women, and People of Color caucuses direct many actions as well. These committees and subcommittees are usually national with regional coordinators, and NLGMC oversaw the National Immigration Project, Worker's Right's Board, National Committee to Combat Women's Oppression (at times), and the Unemployment Law Project, members of NLGMC also established the Progressive Legal Education Fund.

December 1936

Twenty-five lawyers meet in New York to form NLG, soon after, the Massachusetts chapter formed

February 1937

Six hundred attorneys attend the founding convention of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) in Washington, D.C.

1944

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) cites NLG as a Communist-front organization, membership is heavily affected

1945

Guild sends official observers to Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal

1947

NLG convenes Conference on Federal Power to Protect Civil Rights to address epidemic of lynching in the South; Guild members represent the Hollywood Ten, called to testify in front of HUAC

1959

Following national struggle to maintain membership and innocence, NLGMC among many other chapters essentially disappears

1969

Massachusetts Chapter is re-started

1980

National Convention is held in Boston

1989

50th Anniversary of Guild celebrated

1995

NLGMC organizes Committee for a Just Supreme Judicial Court and begins massive effort in protest of Charles Fried's Nomination for the Massachusetts SJC

2009

NLGMC celebrates 40th Anniversary of revived NLGMC